Flow (P5)
Flow (P5)
Unsigned Print
Gerhard Richter
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18 x 18cm, Edition of 500, Digital Print
Medium: Digital Print
Edition size: 500
Year: 2013
Size: H 18cm x W 18cm
Signed: No
Format: Unsigned Print
Last Auction: June 2018
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Meaning & Analysis
This unsigned print by German artist Gerhard Richter was issued in 2013. A part of the Flow series, it was released in an edition of 500. A particularly beautiful component of the Flow series, the print is a standout product of Richter’s long-held fascination for abstraction.
A combination of large, fluid strokes and intricate detail, this work is one of Richter’s most successful experimentations with diluted oil paints. Striking for its difference from prints in the Cage Prints, Cage f.ff and Cage Grid series, which all reference paintings that have been completed with the use of large, home-made squeegees, Flow (P5) shows Richter at his most spontaneous. Floating different hues of paint over the top of a horizontal surface, Richter allows his materials to interact as they wish, independent of his hand. Towards the top of this image, the chemical nature of oil paint comes to the fore, with the fluid dynamics - and mechanics - of these materials giving the work a sense of independent motion.
As an East German student at the Dresden Academy, Richter was only able to visit West Berlin twice a year. There, the artist was shocked by the vibrant visual and artistic cultures that existed outside of the Soviet sphere of influence; films and exhibitions, such as the famous The Family of Man exhibition organised by Edward Steichen of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), were world-changing for the artist. The photographic basis of this particular exhibition had a profound impact on a young Richter, who before then ‘knew only paintings’. Here, Richter departs from his keen emphasis on process and the technological, leaving everything up to error and serendipity: to chance.
Hailing from Germany, Gerhard Richter has not been confined to one visual style. A testament to versatility and artistic diversity, Richter's work spans from photorealism to abstraction and conceptual art, and his portfolio is rich in varied media. From creating bold canvases to working on glass to distort the lines between wall-based art and sculpture, Richter has honed in on the blur technique to impart an ambiguity on his creations. To this day, Richter is one of the most recognised artists of the 20th century with his art having been presented in exhibitions worldwide. His global impact underscores his legacy as a trailblazer of artistic exploration.
